Julian Castro on Foreign Policy

Sister city builds strong bonds to South Korea

A push by Texas business leaders for increased trade with South Korea gets a boost this week when Mayor Julian Castro attends a White House state dinner Thursday for President Lee Myung-bak of the Republic of Korea. San Antonio delegates, including
Castro, are in South Korea this week as part of a mission to increase trade, particularly in the environmental energy, biomedical and biotechnology industries.

The San Antonio delegation will visit Korean sister city Gwangju. "The sister city
relationship between San Antonio and Gwangju underscores the important trade relationship that exists between the US and South Korea," Castro said. "It will be an honor to cap off the trip at the White House dinner with President Myung-bak,"
Castro said.

A White House statement said the state visit "will highlight the strong alliance, global partnership and deep economic ties between the US and the Republic of Korea."